There’s naturally quite a lot of gastronomic choices in Antwerp for you to indulge in. But next to ‘places to be’ for food, I want to direct your attention to places that lessen another kind of hunger, through… reading. For all of you that get excited over a cover or a book smell – here’s another jewel, in the historic center of Antwerp, The Other Shop.

The other shop is no regular book shop. In fact, the two managers own another book store, but with this “other” one they wanted to do something different. Your attention is immediately captured by the quote in the window reminding you that “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read”. And it’s exactly this kind of witty demeanor that you can expect from their collection of exclusively hand picked books, which you won’t easily find in traditional book stores.

Their passion is translated in the range of some unusual selections. You’ll find some fabulous photography books, but also special themed books, describing the journeys of different artists in their niche. All very authentic which makes it quite difficult for me to pick one or two to mention here.

It’s absolutely a treat to browse around the shop. They also have different accessories, like clocks in the form of books, funny quote boards, beautiful notebooks, and the most original and fun good ol’ wish cards.